Series 18: X-Giants take two of three from Homestead

Homestead 23-20, X-Giants 19-25

Pitcher use: End of season

Game One: X-Giants 8, Homestead 0
WP: Donaldson (4-3)
LP: D. Brown (4-2)

Game Two: Homestead 5, X-Giants 4 (10 innings)
WP: R. Brown (4-4)
LP: Dihigo (2-7)
Save: Matlock (3)
HR: C. Smith (11), Gibson (17), Suttles (10)

Game Three: X-Giants 8, Homestead 5
WP: Mendez (4-3)
LP: Salmon (1-2)
Save: H. Smith (8)
HR: CP Bell (3), Gibson (18)

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Homestead was eliminated from the Division B race, clinching the crown for the Crawfords.

John Donaldson frustrated Homestead's potent lineup in the opener. He allowed six hit and six walks, but Homestead banged into a pair of double plays and never came up with a big hit.

Not that one more hit would have sufficed. The X-Giants tormented Dave Brown with three successful squeeze bunts(by Pop Lloyd, Pete Hill and Donaldson) in the first two innings and turned a Dobie Moore error in the sixth inning into three unearned runs.

On the verge of elimination, Homestead fought back from a 4-1 deficit in the second game to win 5-4 in 10 innings. Solo homers by Mule Suttles and Josh Gibson off Martin Dihigo helped knot the score, and Chino Smith's solo shot in the 10th won it. Leroy Matlock entered with the tying run in scoring position to get three straight outs for the save.

Homestead jumped on Slim Jones for four runs in the first inning of the finale, highlighted by a three-run Gibson homer. Cool Papa Bell got an inside-the-parker in the third, but Homestead made it 5-2 with a Smith triple and Gibson sac fly in the fifth.

But Max Manning tired in the eighth, and Henry Salmon couldn't stop the X-Giants merry-go-round. The big hits came from notably weak bats: Bruce Petway doubled home the go-ahead run, and Bingo DeMoss followed with a two-run single to give Hilton Smith plenty of margin.

Bill Monroe was six-for-13 in the series with four runs and four RBIs for the X-Giants.